"Then put your little hand in mine,
There ain't no hill or mountain we can't climb,
Babe, I got you, babe,
I got you, babe…"

And for a time at least, he certainly did. The marriage of Salvatore Bono to a young singer named Cherilyn Sarkisian may not have lasted until “death do we part,” but in their relatively short time together, they were one of America’s favorite couples, both in regard to their string of hit songs and due to their weekly exposure on national television. Of course, they are better known by their stage names of Sonny and Cher, one of the most iconic couples to emerge from the era.

Sonny was a struggling up-and-coming songwriter when he crossed paths with the beautiful sixteen-year old singer in 1962 at a Los Angeles coffee shop.  Sonny was working for record producer Phil Spector at the time, which led to Cher providing background vocals on such hits as “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” by the Righteous Brothers and “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes. But husband and wife had their own aspirations of musical stardom and introduced themselves to the world as … Caesar and Cleo.

Yeah, that didn’t work out so well, but their talent was good enough to get notice from Atlantic Records. They wisely changed their name to Sonny and Cher and recorded a song penned by Sonny called “I Got You, Babe.” Given the full Spector treatment of a lush orchestral background, something Sonny knew a thing or two about from working with the producer, this simple song about two lovers professing their love for one another became a smash hit, rising to the #1 spot almost overnight.

They promoted the song through numerous television appearances, and they made an interesting couple from a visual perspective, with Cher towering over her diminutive husband and both sporting the youthful fashion of the day - bellbottoms and long hair. While the look was trendy enough, it also got them bounced from a fine restaurant on one occasion. This episode led to Sonny to pen the song “Laugh At Me,” which spoke of the importance of individuality. Recorded with Sonny singing solo, it was a Top-10 hit (Mott The Hoople later recorded a cover of the song.) Cher recorded her own solo performance, a cover of Bob Dylan’s All I Really Want To Do” which became the third in a string of hits for the duo. Despite these successes with individual performances, however, Sonny and Cher were always at their most magical when they shared the vocal duties.  

Thanks to this undeniable chemistry, their streak of hits continued throughout 1965 with such songs as “Baby, Don’t Go,” ‘But You’re Mine” and “Just You” – songs that delivered not only with their vocal tracks, but also as a result of the masterful underlying orchestrations. The chart-topping pace continued through 1966 with more hits, including “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down,” “What Now My Love” and “Little Man, proving that this was no flash in the pan. The public was so enamored with the duo that they were even able to launch a successful clothing line in department stores around the country.

Sonny and Cher began 1967 with a ride on a Rose Boat Float, the first time a pop duo had been given the honor, then scored with another substantial hit called “The Beat Goes On,” which made its way to the #6 position on the Billboard charts. They also got their feet wet, both in film – starring in the film, Good Times, and making numerous television appearances on such shows as The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Throughout the rest of the decade, they continued to record and perform live in front of adoring audiences.

Television executives took notice of their enormous popularity in the new decade and decided their playful banter and gentle ribbing of each other would play quite well to TV audiences. As a result, they were given their own variety show, The Sonny and Cher Variety Hour, a mixture of sketch comedy, special guests, and, of course, plenty of singing. Their daughter Chastity was also featured prominently on the show. On the musical side of things, they continued their string of hits with such songs as “All I Ever Need Is You” and “A Cowboy’s Work Is Never Done,” both of which made it into the Top-10.

But while the happy couple continued with their variety show, things weren’t quite as happy off-camera. By 1975, they were filing for a well-publicized divorce. They tried to continue the show, but it soon became clear that those playful jabs at each other seemed a little less playful. The show briefly went off the air, only to return a year later, with Cher having remarried to rock star Greg Allman of whom she bore a child. By 1977, they decided to go their separate ways.

While Cher continued to record and eventually land starring roles in motion pictures, Sonny’s career took a far different path, that of politics. First, he became the Mayor of Palm Springs, CA, then later became a member of the House of Representatives. Adoring fans would get one final opportunity to see them sing together on stage in 1987, when they surprised everyone by joining for an emotional rendition of “I Got You Babe” on the Late Night With David Letterman.  Any thoughts of future reconciliation were brought to a tragic halt in 1998, however, when Sonny became the victim of a fatal skiing accident.

It marked the end of an era for one of the most magical husband and wife teams to ever take the stage together. Their unique chemistry, wonderful music and playful antics will be forever remembered by anyone who had the pleasure of witnessing this one-of-a-kind couple.